Chantz Sawyers Wins Jamaican u20 400m Championship

Chantz Sawyers has had huge freshman year at the Univesity of Florida and continued his success this weekend winning the u20 Jamaican National Championship.

Sawyers graduated last spring with the North Carolina State Record of 46.31 over 400 meters. At Florida he became an immediate impact for a loaded sprint roster ending the year with an 11th place finish at NCAAs. Just three spots and .42 seconds out of qualifying for finals. He also placed 4th in the SEC Outdoor Conference Championships. Sawyers was also a critical leg on Florida's 4x400m which took 4th at NCAAs.

This weekend Sawyers took on a strong Jamaican field in the 400. Sawyers was able to advance out of the prelims with ease. Reports say Sawyers was even able to hold a conversation with his competitor Anthony Carpenter down the homestretch as he took 2nd in the heat clocking 47.77.

Sawyers went on to the finals the next day, but he would be running out of lane 8, meaning he would have no eyes on where he was relative to his competition.

Sawyers went out hard over the first 200m and no one was able to make up the stagger on him. On the final turn, it looked as if competitors were making up ground on the Florida freshman. But Sawyers had another gear and was able to charge down the homestretch clocking 45.76.

Sawyers will advance to the IAAF World Junior Championships next month in Tampere, Finland. He'll compete in the 400m and potentially will be on Jamaica's 4x400m Relay as well.

Sawyers had this to say about his Jamaican Junior Trials Performance and what he's looking forward to heading to Finland.

"I definitely happy with my win at the Jamaican Junior trial. Of course, Iwish I could have gotten a better time, but I am satisfied with the win and that a completed the job that was to be done which was to qualify in an individual. What I am looking forward to the most at the World Juniors is of course running and having a chance to medal in my event and potentially be on a World Junior record 4x4 team as we have a really good chance in breaking it this year! Besides the running though, I am excited about being able to see and meet people from all over the world and see how the country of Finland looks."